


star light, star bright

by TeaHime



Series: sweet dreams are made of this [1]
Category: MapleStory, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Amnesia, Gen, M/M, MapleStory AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 20:19:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13531794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaHime/pseuds/TeaHime
Summary: In Vanishing Road, a land of eternal winter and perpetual forgetfulness, Midoriya Izuku protects the memories of the townsfolk.One day, a mysterious traveler with no memories of his own crosses paths with him, in search of the truth about himself.





	star light, star bright

**Author's Note:**

> way belated gift for [mazuyaki](https://twitter.com/mazuyaki) for [BNHA Secret Santa](https://twitter.com/bnhasecretsanta). (I couldn't finish it before the end of January, so I thought I'd post what I had instead of keeping them waiting... sorry!!) 
> 
> based off Vanishing Journey, the first quest in Arcane River. I watched a few videos and ended up taking liberties with the lore, but I was determined to write [the AU prompt they had](https://twitter.com/mazuyaki/status/918187753510133760), as a lover and creator of niche AUs myself. (I also used to play MapleStory, though I never got that high level, so this was super nostalgic for me in a way)
> 
> can definitely be read with absolutely no knowledge of the game or quest - I want everyone to be able to enjoy this!
> 
> chapter 2 will come when I am not drowning in exam prep.

It was a snowy day like any other, yet Midoriya felt that something was different. He looked around - only snow-covered fields as far as the eye could see, soft flakes floating down in the dark night, nothing unusual. Yet something in the air felt charged, something felt off, as if some delicate balance was thrown into disarray. The Erdas, soulless creatures of pure magic, seemed more restless as well.

Midoriya pulled his cloak tighter around him and walked towards the gate - Arcane River rarely had visitors as not many Ossyrian travelers made it into the Temple of Time alive, let alone past the Gate of the Present. Nevertheless, it was his job as a gatekeeper to check for any intruders and decide whether to let them in or cast them out.

Arcane River was a collection of shattered lands created in the wake of the insidious All For One’s unsuccessful attempt to destroy the continent of Ossyria. Some called All For One the Black Mage, as he stole the souls and magic of those that crossed him like a bottomless void. But humanity was tenacious, and civilizations sprung up and thrived in those fragmented worlds. Each had its own unique magical nature and rules and culture, with only the mysterious titular river connecting them.

The first land behind the Gate of the Present was Vanishing Road - a land of eternal winter, with humble villages once surrounding the border of the Lake of Oblivion. Most had withered away into nothingness. Nameless Town was the only one that survived, so called because even the long time residents had forgotten its name.

Midoriya inspected the gate. Every chain and lock was still in place. There was no indication that somebody had tried to break in, through magical or physical means. He was about to chalk up his weird feeling to hallucinating from boredom or hunger from long hours in the snow, but his sharp senses picked up a strange yet familiar magic signature. It was intensely… cold and melancholy, yet underneath there was something that brought an inexplicable rush of deja vu. It tasted very similar to the magic found in the Arcane River, which was the truly strange part.

For all of his eighteen years, he had never heard of an Arcane River resident leaving the area - the magic here was too volatile to survive in Ossyria proper and there were likely all sorts of strange spell traps in the Temple of Time - it was too dangerous. So it made no sense that the outsider’s magic seemed like it was from Arcane River.

Against better judgement, Midoriya quietly cast the incantation for the gate, and opened it.

He tensed and prepared to fight, but found… nothing?

Midoriya frowned and looked around. Beyond the Gate of the Present, it was a pleasant spring afternoon - golden rays of sunlight, birds chirping, greenery in the distance. None of Vanishing Road’s cold, icy night reached past the enchanted doorway; the line was as sharp as if drawn with a ruler. As a resident of Nameless Town, it was forbidden by law for him to wander out into the Temple of Time, but he had to confirm if there was an intruder or not.

Midoriya heard a quiet groan from behind one of the heavy doors and found a cloaked figure slumped in the shadow behind it. The person mumbled something Midoriya was unable to understand, and then collapsed, unconscious. Quietly, Midoriya eased them into his arms and carried them back across the gate, wincing at the blast of freezing wind. The person was heavy but Midoriya had had worse. He recited another incantation, and the gates swung closed, bolts and chains in place once more.

Vanishing Road was not kind to outsiders in many ways, but Midoriya couldn’t just leave them lying here. Besides, they were injured, Midoriya noted from the bloody bandages around their arms. Perhaps after they rested and healed up Midoriya could send them back on their way. Deep down, he was also curious about the outside world and had many questions he wanted to ask the stranger.

 

\----

 

“Izuku, what happened to him?” Inko looked over to where her son was tending to the stranger’s wounds. She had just finished cooking dinner.

“I don’t know, maybe he was attacked by something out there. Thankfully it doesn’t seem that serious.”

The outsider was a young man, who looked to be around Midoriya’s age. His hair was strikingly unusual, half crimson and half snow white, divided sharply down the middle. They reminded Midoriya of the wild winter roses that grew near the Lake of Oblivion, stubbornly fighting their way through the frozen ground.

Midoriya carefully applied ointment and changed out the bandages for fresh ones. There were a few scary looking cuts on the man’s arms, but nothing that went that deep. A scar ran around his left eye, but there was nothing Midoriya could do about that - that was an old wound, made at least several years ago.

“Out there? Do you mean...” Inko lowered her voice, hesitant.

Midoriya nodded. “I was doing my rounds by the Gate, and I heard something, so I opened-”

“Izuku!” Inko dropped her spoon, and hugged her son tightly. “I’m glad you’re alright… it’s dangerous out there…”

“I’m sorry for worrying you.” They sat down to eat the stew together, and shortly after Inko headed off to bed early. As the manager for the village general store, she needed to be down by the market before dawn to open shop.

Midoriya usually stayed up later to read, and decided to stay in the living room in case the stranger woke up. Several chapters later, he heard stirring, followed up by a low whisper, and-

“Where am I?”

Midoriya put down his book. “Sleep well? I left dinner for you on the table - it’s a bit cold but I can heat it up again if you want-” he stopped when the stranger frowned, evidently still disoriented. “I… I found you collapsed next to the Gate, so you’re in my house right now. My name is Midoriya Izuku. You?”

The stranger regarded him carefully. “...Todoroki Shouto.”

Nameless Town was fairly small, and Midoriya had never heard that name anywhere. Yet, why did Todoroki’s magic back then bear a similar aura to the magic permeating Vanishing Road? Perhaps he had imagined it?

“Do you mind me asking where you’re from?”

At that, Todoroki avoided his gaze. Midoriya immediately regretted asking, maybe there was a reason Todoroki _couldn’t_ tell him or-

“I don’t remember.” Not the answer Midoriya expected, but not something that was entirely unexpected, either.

“Are you… perhaps... from the Outside?”

“Probably, but I can’t be sure.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t remember what happened directly before you found me, or much else for that matter. I just remember my name, and what magic I can use, somehow. But…” Todoroki sighed in frustration. “I don’t remember… _who_ I am.”

Midoriya looked at him sympathetically. “It happens quite often around here. This place, Nameless Town, is by the Lake of Oblivion. If you fall in the lake, you’ll forget. The longer you’re in there, the more you’ll lose. Even by living near it, everyone gradually forgets some things. That’s why there’s the Tree of Memories.”

“Tree of Memories?”

“I can take you there tomorrow - it’s also my job to guard it, but I’m off tomorrow. We use magic to store memories precious to us in these-” Midoriya produced a box from under the coffee table, opened it, and took out what appeared to be a glowing glass orb “- and hang them on the Tree in the middle of town. That way, we’ll never lose them.”

“That sounds nice.”

“It is, and it’s quite beautiful too. Maybe if you go to the Tree you might be able to find some of your memories?”

“It’s not likely since I don’t think I’m from this town, but I’d like to see it anyway.”

“Hmm. Do you have any clue to your memories whatsoever?” 

Todoroki hesitated. “I don’t know about clue… but there are recurring dreams I’ve been having. But I wouldn’t make any assumptions based on them.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to hear about them.”

“Maybe.”

 

\----

 

The Tree of Memories was beyond just beautiful - it was majestic. It was three stories tall and almost as wide, with slender pale silvery branches that gleamed softly in the dark. The bark had a subtle luminous quality to it that seemed like it was carved from moonstone, but the sharp pine-like scent confirmed it was indeed a real tree. From every branch hung lights of every shape and color, glowing bright yet soft, sometimes flickering. These were the memories, the stories, the hearts of the villagers given tangible form to live on forever. Todoroki felt like he had stepped into a dream, yet nothing he could ever dream of could compare to to seeing this before him.

“Breathtaking, isn’t it?” Midoriya smiled. “I remember the first time my mother took me to see the tree from afar. I was four at the time. I couldn’t enter the town square until I was twelve, though.”

“Why?”

“We have a superstition here in Nameless Town that if you don’t live past the age of twelve, you haven’t been around long enough to be remembered. With the lake’s influence and all. So it’s bad luck to touch the Tree of Memories if you have the potential to be forgotten? I don’t quite get it myself, but it was something people believed long before I was born.”

“That’s very sad... but it makes sense.”

“Yeah.” Midoriya paused for a moment. “Anyway do you want to take a look to see if any of your memories are around here?”

“I’d like to, but how will I know if they’re here?”

“It’s rather difficult to explain in words, but because a memory was once part of you, or maybe still is, you’ll just _know_. It’ll be something you can sense by instinct? Come here.” Midoriya walked over to a low hanging branch, and pointed to a round bulb with a soft green glow. “This is one of mine.”

“What is it a memory of?”

“Actually, it’s funny you’d ask that, because I just told you. It’s a memory of the first time I saw the Tree in person. I could still show you, if you want.”

Todoroki nodded. “I’d like that.”

Midoriya reached for the bulb, but his fingertips fell a bit short of the cord it hung from. “Wait here, let me go get a ladder from one of the shops-”

Todoroki shook his head. “No need to. I’ll get it.” Todoroki was a few inches taller, and just managed to reach the knot in the cord. He started to untie it gently.

“Oh, okay. Thanks.”

Todoroki winced as a spark of static from the bulb pricked his fingertips, but continued to work at the complicated knot Midoriya had made. The bulb flickered off, then back on. As Midoriya looked around, it seemed like the nearby bulbs started to flicker as well, their swirling contents buzzing with a tension that felt impatient. The flickering spread from this branch to adjacent branches and people nearby started to murmur. Midoriya frowned - this was unusual.

“Todoroki, do you see what’s going on?”

“Hold on, I’ve got it,” Todoroki replied hastily, still focused on the knot. He just had to pull this end through this loop and then that one from under the other and it would come free-

A loud noise like a thunderclap resounded through the square and the Tree shook. The townsfolk, now alerted, started to mumble in increasingly panicked voices. A few people screamed. The Tree lit up painfully bright, with each light shining at full force and crackling in a fierce blaze. Todoroki nearly tripped, shielding his eyes and dropping Midoriya’s green bulb. It rolled to the side on a cobblestone, completely unscratched.

Midoriya shielded his eyes. What in the world was going on? It seemed like something had agitated the magical balance of the Tree and it was overflowing. How could that be? Midoriya and the other Keepers made sure to rotate out and regulate the amount of memories hung on the tree. Each townsperson was allowed a certain amount, and sometimes slightly more if another branch grew on the tree, which was not often. This time, there seemed to be a force tugging on the memories, to set them free from their vessels.

Todoroki stumbled forward, his right palm making contact with the trunk of the Tree. A thin layer of frost spread from his hand without him realizing it, and the lights began flickering violently. Todoroki’s head hurt, like he was on the verge of remembering something but it continued to dance out of his grasp, taunting him.

And then - there was nothing. 

Every single light on the Tree had gone out.

The bulbs still hung, without any cracks or scratches, but were nothing but clear lifeless shells. The enchanted memories within every single one had disappeared. Every single one, except the one Todoroki had freed from the Tree.

Midoriya picked up his bulb, soft green light still pulsing and all, and looked at it, then at the tree, then at Todoroki. What exactly, had happened? It wasn’t uncommon for a stray memory to scatter every now and then from the Tree when it was at capacity, but for _everything_ to disappear all at once?

“I-It’s him!! It’s his fault!!” an old man pointed at Todoroki shakily. “You’re not from here, are you? I saw you - this all happened when you touched the tree!”

“He’s right!!”  
  
“How dare you?!”  
  
“Return our memories to us!!”

The cacophony of panicked voices become louder and more frantic. Things could get ugly really fast. Midoriya grabbed Todoroki’s hand. “Follow me.” The two of them slipped out of the town square in the confusion before it could escalate further.

  


\----

 

“It should be around here somewhere…” Midoriya rummaged around an old trunk. “Ah, there it is!” He produced what looked like two white tree branches.

They were back in Midoriya’s house, lying low and avoiding drawing any attention to themselves. Midoriya was in the process of nearly turning the house upside down in his search for… whatever it was. He noticed Todoroki staring at the branches.

“Oh, these? I’m making a lantern.”  
  
“A lantern?”

“What for?”

Midoriya stared for a good few seconds before slapping his forehead. “Right, you’re not from around here, sorry. So sometimes memories do escape from the Tree… well, nothing on the scale of what happened today, I don’t know why exactly it turned out that way, I mean I have a few ideas… but!! If memories escaped, it’s likely the Erdas have them.”  
  
“Erdas?” The word was strange but also somehow familiar to Todoroki, though he couldn’t explain why.

“They’re… well nobody knows exactly what they are but,” Midoriya rested his chin in hand, “they’re kind of like beings of life energy? They’re not _really_ alive, but they seem to be sentient somehow. They’re supposedly from a place further down the River, but I’ve never been able to verify. And they lurk around all the old destroyed towns.”

“Do they usually gather lost memories?”  
  
“Yes and no. I don’t think they consciously do, but somehow… memory fragments are drawn to them? I often wonder if they were once human, or from a time before humans existed. Sometime they hoard the memories and it takes convincing to get them back. That’s what the lantern’s for, a common trick is using your own memories as bait to get them to come out of hiding. I’m also using old branches from the Tree to further amplify the magic in the preserved memories.”

Midoriya made a second lantern for Todoroki using a memory orb he found in the house, though he refused to elaborate on the nature of its contents. Todoroki couldn’t help but be slightly curious, but decided not to ask any further. They also donned ragged hooded cloaks - olive green for Midoriya, white for Todoroki - before heading out (“Erdas tend to be less unsettled when you blend in with them”, Midoriya mentioned).

 

\----

 

Ghost towns dotted the Lake of Oblivion southwest of Nameless Town - shadows of a time when more than just a few people thrived among the icy regions of Vanishing Road. Like Nameless Town, the former names of each and every village had been long forgotten, disappearing without a single clue left behind.

Todoroki and Midoriya passed by a sign with “The Land of Happiness” in loopy scrawl.

Todoroki raised an eyebrow. There was nowhere bleaker than this cold, empty shell of a town. “The Land of Happiness?”

“Pretty ironic, isn’t it? I put that there. And a few others. The ruins of these towns can get pretty confusing to navigate so when Kacchan and I used to explore the lakeside, we ended up putting these signs up to mark each area so nobody who comes here gets lost.”

“Kacchan?”

“My childhood friend. He isn’t here anymore.”

“I’m sorry.”

Midoriya laughed. “No, not like that. He’s still alive, but he left Vanishing Road.”  
  
Todoroki gave him an incredulous look. “He went through the Gate?”  
  
“No, he didn’t leave Arcane River. He went the other way - further into it. There are other lands down the River.” Midoriya’s eyes lit up slightly. “While I’m more curious about Ossyria, I’ve always wanted to go down the River as well. I forgot the name exactly, but he wrote about some bright and colorful tropical island in his last letter. It’s really hard to imagine that but, he’s not the type to lie.”

Todoroki looked almost wistful. “I may have dreamed of a place like that before, but I’m sure it was just a dream.” He shrugged.

As they walked further down a winding path, an eerie fog started to settle. It wasn’t too long after noon but as the fog blanketed the ghost town, it was difficult to see very far in any direction.

Todoroki spotted a faint light in the distance. He tapped on Midoriya’s shoulder and pointed to it. “Are there other people out here looking for memories?”

Midoriya looked in the direction of the light. “It could be… but not many people other than Kacchan and I know how to navigate this area. I think we found some Erdas.”

Midoriya and Todoroki followed the light, approaching cautiously. As they got closer they realized it was not just one, not two, but several faint golden lights in the distance.

A cluster of hooded figures holding lanterns came into view. Some of them had dull green cloaks, while others wore bright white ones. Todoroki mistook them for fellow travelers until he realized that none of them had faces. Each being seemed to be made of pulsing dark blue shadow, some with rounded shadow limbs and some with white branches (that looked exactly like the ones from the Tree of Memories) for arms. Despite being faceless, they were not unsettling to look at, but rather… tranquil? There seemed to be a peaceful warmth beneath the swirling surface of that shadow.

Each Erda carried a lantern similar to theirs, except the container was a cage of twine instead of a glass orb.

“We’ll have to be quiet so we don’t startle them,” Midoriya whispered. “They’re pretty friendly but prone to strange whims, so _do not_ let them think that we’re lost.”

“Are we?”  
  
“No, but but I’ve heard stories that they like to play tricks on lost travelers.”

The Erdas started circling around them with an inquisitive air. It was likely they were drawn by the light of the memory fragments in the glass lanterns, but to Todoroki it looked like they recognized Midoriya.

Midoriya sat down on the snow and slowly waved his lantern around in a slow pattern, the magic light leaving trails in the air. An Erda with white branch horns floated towards Midoriya with the wary curiosity of a cat and flitted around the lantern. Midoriya changed the rhythm of his waving playfully and the Erda matched it, still mesmerized by the light.

Todoroki noticed at some point that Midoriya had surreptitiously produced a large clear jar from his backpack. As the Erda continued chasing the light of the lantern Midoriya whispered an incantation, snapped his fingers, and a tiny fragment of light dropped from the Erda’s cloak and landed inside the jar. Midoriya covered the jar with his cloak and slowly brought his waving to a stop. The Erda flickered softly and made a strange noise that Todoroki could only describe as between a chirp and a gurgle. Evidently amused, it floated away into the distance.

“See, that wasn’t too hard,” Midoriya smiled at Todoroki. “We already got one back. They’re not that stubborn, you just need to play with them a bit.”

 _Well, look at that._ Todoroki didn’t know what he had been expecting. Worst comes to worst, he had been fully prepared to fight these creatures to take the memories back, but all it required was a little trickery and sleight of hand? Todoroki found the confidence and sense of wonder Midoriya showed while coaxing the escaped memory from the Erda very endearing.

“Wanna give it a try?” Midoriya held the jar up to Todoroki.

“Sure.”

Todoroki’s attempt wasn’t as successful. The Erda he tried to bait was a mischievous one and kept circling around his head and dodging every time he tried to cast the memory collecting spell Midoriya taught him. He was supposed to get the Erda to chase his lantern but ended up chasing after it instead. At one point he stumbled forward and fell headfirst into a pile of snow. The Erda made that strange gurgle-chirp and Todoroki had the distinct feeling that it was laughing at him. 

He looked at Midoriya, who wasn’t able to resist laughing as well. “Do your best, Todoroki!”

Todoroki groaned. He packed a snowball and threw it at Midoriya. His aim was slightly off, but the snowball burst against Midoriya's hood, sending cold snow down the back of his neck. Midoriya yelled in surprise; this had been completely unexpected. He reached back trying to dislodge the chunk of snow but it only slid further down his shirt.

“Oh no, you didn’t.” Midoriya set his lantern on the ground and reached for a handful of snow. His aim was better than Todoroki’s, and landed a direct hit on Todoroki’s face.

Todoroki let out an undignified yelp and retaliated with another snowball, this time hitting Midoriya square in the chest. Midoriya grinned, packed and threw a few more in quick succession, not missing a single hit. Todoroki returned his blows with partial success. Midoriya continued pelting Todoroki with snowballs, putting him on the defensive. Unable to keep up after a few more exchanges, Todoroki threw up his right arm, forming a thin barrier of ice between them.

Midoriya pouted in mock frustration. “Hey, that’s not fair.”

“I value my life, thank you very much,” Todoroki bent over to catch his breath, the corners of his lips turned up in a small almost-smile.

Out of the corner of his eye, Midoriya noticed that the Erdas started floating closer and closer, regarding the snowball fight with interest.

“Hey, I’ve got an idea.” He picked up the memory jar. “It looks like they want to play as well, so maybe you could distract them.”  
  
“Midoriya, are you planning to…” Midoriya put his finger on his lips and gave Todoroki a knowing look. _Shhhh._ “...ah. Think it’ll work?”

“It’ll be fun.”

“I’ll be sure not to hit them too hard.”  
  
“I wouldn’t be worried, with that aim.”

Todoroki rolled his eyes. He packed another round of snowballs and upon Midoriya’s signal, lobbed one at the nearest Erda. It dodged easily, and made a noise of excitement. Undeterred, Todoroki continued throwing them, changing targets without warning, and soon he was surrounded by a swarm of Erdas, each clamoring to have a go at dodging Todoroki’s snowballs. In the end, he barely hit any of them.

In the meantime, Midoriya snuck around quietly, picking up dropped memory pieces and pickpocketing ones from distracted Erdas.

They used the same strategy with Erdas hiding in other areas (The Land of Sorrow, The Land of Rage, and so on), and the task went by fairly quickly.

It was one of the best afternoons Midoriya had ever had.

 

\----

 

The sun was just starting to set when Midoriya and Todoroki made it back to the house.

Midoriya took a hot bath to chase away the winter chill, and Midoriya was in the middle of making dinner when his mother returned. With her was a short woman with a pleasant round face and warm brown hair.

“Uraraka! It’s been a while! What are you up to lately?”

“Hmm, not much. The usual, you know.” Uraraka set her things down on the sofa and walked into the kitchen area. “We had another victim this week, and no matter what I tried, it was no use. But it’s to be expected…”

“How frightening! I’m glad you’re safe. Your job is so dangerous, so I worry a lot, about you and Izuku both.” Inko hugged her, and went to help with dinner.

“What happened?” Todoroki walked out of bathroom, drying his hair. He was wearing clothes Midoriya lent him; they were a tad small on him but still fit. “Did somebody die?”

“Not exactly. Oh, this is Uraraka Ochako, my best friend. Uraraka, this is Todoroki Shouto.” Lowering his voice, he added, “I ran into him outside the Gate.”

“Nice to meet you!” Uraraka waved to Todoroki.

“And you as well,” Todoroki returned with a nod.

“And to answer your question, nobody died. Somebody fell into the Lake, though.” Uraraka sighed. “It happens a lot more often than you’d expect.”

Todoroki thought back to the thick fog near the ruins. It was probably easy to stumble into the Lake of Oblivion from there, but the air around Nameless Town was clear during the day and well-lit at night, at least from what he could see through Midoriya’s bedroom window. “Is it that easy to get lost from the town?”

Midoriya and Uraraka exchanged looks.

“Well, it shouldn’t be but…” Midoriya paused. “I’ve been thinking. For some reason I sensed your magic is similar to ours, but since you’re from the Outside, it probably isn’t. In any case, if you’re not from around here, maybe you might not be affected. There are a lot of spells… wandering here or there? They’re not really cast by anybody, just rogue bits of magic that can often confuse people and lead them to lose their way and a lot of them do end up falling into the Lake. It almost seems like it’s leading them to the Lake, but for what purpose, I couldn’t say.”

Uraraka unclipped a small shining object from her belt and showed it to Todoroki. “We all carry charms to ward off their influence, but they don’t always work. Or people forget to wear them. It’s my job to fish people out of the lake after they’ve fallen in.”

“And your mother and I are afraid that someday you’ll fall in yourself,” Inko interjected, while carefully ladling soup. “Isn’t there something safer you could do?” she chided.

“I know, but it’s good money. The city council pays me a lot because nobody else wants to do it. And with my dad having to quit working because of his leg injury… besides, I’ve been doing this for a few years now. I’ll be fine.” Uraraka smiled at Inko. “I promise to be careful, Mrs. Midoriya.”

Midoriya waited until his mother was preoccupied. “Uraraka, do you think you could stay for a bit after dinner?” he asked quietly. “There’s something Todoroki and I want to discuss with you.”


End file.
